Scottish Executive

Diabetes

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether general practitioners will be able to screen for diabetes in their surgeries.

Susan Deacon: The early detection of disease is a key role of primary care and currently general practitioners can, and do, test for diabetes where the patient’s history or symptoms is suggestive that this may be the underlying cause. The majority of GPs also provide diabetes clinics under chronic disease management arrangements for diabetic patients.

Economic Development

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it benchmarks the performance of Scottish economic development policy and the effectiveness of agencies charged with its delivery against other competitor nations and other parts of the UK.

Ms Wendy Alexander: An extensive and far reaching review of the Enterprise Networks in Scotland was carried out by the Scottish Executive in 2000. This included benchmarking the networks in Scotland against economic development agencies elsewhere in the UK and in other countries. The strategy for enterprise A Smart, Successful Scotland sets out the direction and priorities for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise and includes the commitment to produce a framework to measure the performance of the networks in achieving the ambitions set for them by ministers. This framework will also be informed by the experience in other countries.

Economy

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what each level one expenditure line in the Scottish budget represented as a percentage of Scotland’s GDP in each year for which figures are available.

Angus MacKay: I refer you to the table which provides level one expenditure as a percentage of GDP and projected GDP.

  


Portfolio 
  

% 
  


 

1994-95 
  

1995-96 
  

1996-97 
  

1997-98 
  

1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  

2001-02 
  

2002-03 
  

2003-04 
  



Audit Scotland 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.01 
  

0.01 
  

0.01 
  



Central Gov’t Support for Local Authority Expenditure 
  

8.26 
  

7.92 
  

8.87 
  

8.27 
  

7.90 
  

7.91 
  

7.83 
  

8.09 
  

8.22 
  

8.26 
  



Children and Central Government Education 
  

0.08 
  

0.08 
  

0.10 
  

0.20 
  

0.26 
  

0.29 
  

0.36 
  

0.38 
  

0.45 
  

0.49 
  



Communities 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.01 
  

0.01 
  

0.01 
  



Crown Office 
  

0.07 
  

0.07 
  

0.07 
  

0.07 
  

0.07 
  

0.07 
  

0.07 
  

0.07 
  

0.07 
  

0.07 
  



Enterprise and Lifelong Learning 
  

2.87 
  

2.74 
  

2.72 
  

2.66 
  

2.55 
  

2.49 
  

2.55 
  

2.73 
  

2.61 
  

2.57 
  



Environment 
  

0.07 
  

0.07 
  

0.07 
  

0.10 
  

0.08 
  

0.54 
  

0.70 
  

0.63 
  

0.64 
  

0.65 
  



EU Structural Funds 
  

0.12 
  

0.11 
  

0.14 
  

0.16 
  

0.22 
  

0.28 
  

0.17 
  

0.21 
  

0.23 
  

0.16 
  



Executive Secretariat 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  



Food Standards Agency 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.01 
  

0.01 
  



Forestry 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.09 
  

0.10 
  

0.10 
  

0.10 
  

0.10 
  



Health 
  

7.13 
  

6.89 
  

6.91 
  

6.94 
  

6.94 
  

7.00 
  

7.14 
  

7.57 
  

7.77 
  

7.90 
  



Justice 
  

0.73 
  

0.70 
  

0.72 
  

0.71 
  

0.76 
  

0.84 
  

0.78 
  

0.83 
  

0.83 
  

0.82 
  



New Deal 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  



Rural Affairs 
  

0.76 
  

0.81 
  

0.91 
  

0.75 
  

0.83 
  

0.83 
  

0.76 
  

0.77 
  

0.75 
  

0.71 
  



SE Administration 
  

0.26 
  

0.25 
  

0.26 
  

0.22 
  

0.22 
  

0.25 
  

0.26 
  

0.26 
  

0.25 
  

0.25 
  



SE Associated Departments 
  

0.01 
  

0.02 
  

0.02 
  

0.02 
  

0.01 
  

0.02 
  

0.03 
  

0.04 
  

0.03 
  

0.02 
  



Scottish Parliament 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.06 
  

0.13 
  

0.12 
  

0.13 
  

0.09 
  



Social Justice 
  

0.99 
  

1.05 
  

0.92 
  

0.84 
  

0.86 
  

0.73 
  

0.86 
  

0.89 
  

0.91 
  

0.97 
  



Scottish Public Pensions Agency 
  

0.32 
  

0.42 
  

0.35 
  

0.42 
  

0.49 
  

0.31 
  

0.38 
  

0.35 
  

0.33 
  

0.37 
  



Sport & Culture 
  

0.20 
  

0.19 
  

0.19 
  

0.19 
  

0.18 
  

0.19 
  

0.17 
  

0.18 
  

0.18 
  

0.18 
  



Transport 
  

0.50 
  

0.47 
  

0.46 
  

0.47 
  

0.99 
  

0.96 
  

1.01 
  

1.22 
  

1.22 
  

1.28 
  



Unallocated Capital Modernisation Fund 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.02 
  

0.02 
  

0.02 
  

0.02 
  



Reserve 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.00 
  

0.09 
  

0.14 
  

0.14 
  



  Figures from 1998-99 onwards reflect the introduction of Resource Accounting and Budgeting. From 1999-2000 the water authorities form part of the Environment Group budget.

Education

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive where in the education level 3 budget the savings of £47 million planned for 2002-03 and 2003-04 will be made and what effect these savings will have on programmes funded by this budget.

Nicol Stephen: The savings of £47 million come from the following level 3 lines within Education and Children.

  


Level 3 
  

2002-03
(£ million) 
  

2003-04
(£ million) 
  



Schools:
Curriculum development, IT, international services and 
  administration 
  


 
18 
  


 
22 
  



Specific Grants:
Excellence Fund 
  


- 
  


7 
  



  The schools funding had been earmarked for investment in broadband infrastructure. This will now be funded from Capital Modernisation Fund consequentials. The Excellence Fund money was unallocated. There will be no effect on either programme.

Education

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with COSLA regarding the effects of stress on headteachers.

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to assist South Ayrshire Council to address any difficulties in educational management being experienced as a result of the absence of headteachers due to stress-related illnesses.

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to help local authorities to assist headteachers suffering from stress-related illnesses.

Nicol Stephen: The management of teacher absence and the causes of absence are matters for individual local authorities as employers and it is important that local authorities have effective management policies in place. No discussions with South Ayrshire Council or COSLA have taken place on the specific issue you raise.

  Through the agreement, A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century, the Scottish Executive is assisting all local authorities directly tackle the issue of teacher workload in three ways. By the end of this year my department will have in place a gatekeeper mechanism to monitor and reduce the level of duplication in administrative and information demand placed on authorities and schools by the Executive. In addition, we will conduct a bureaucracy audit in partnership with local authorities which we expect to run over a period of six months and which will provide an audit of the position as it directly affects schools to enable all the parties concerned to develop more effective ways of working. Over the next three years, our commitment to the agreement on teachers’ conditions and pay includes the provision of significant additional resources to fund the introduction of additional support staff to schools to reduce the demand on teachers to routinely undertake tasks which are not directly connected with teaching. For the longer term a framework for Continuous Professional Development is being established. The framework should include elements that will help teachers to manage workload issues.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to improve safety in the fishing industry; what funds it has available for this purpose, and whether the recent budget announcement will have any impact on the amount of funds available.

Rhona Brankin: To improve safety culture in the fishing industry the Executive is making available up to £1.5 million over three years for the provision of free safety training for fishermen. The recent budget announcement will have no impact on this.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network will publish its guidelines regarding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Malcolm Chisholm: I understand that the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) clinical guideline on Attention Deficit and Hyperkinetic Disorders in Children and Young People was published in July.

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce routine neonatal screening for deafness.

Malcolm Chisholm: In Scotland, the introduction of neonatal hearing screening will be taken forward in two steps. The first involves the establishment of two pathfinder sites with screening beginning in these areas by April 2002 Thereafter, the screening programme will be rolled out across Scotland from April 2003.

  A review of the implications of implementing a phased neonatal hearing screening programme was placed on the SHOW website on 27 June and is available on the SHOW website at www.show.scot.nhs.uk.

Justice

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it anticipates that the appeal hearing in respect of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi will commence.

Mr Jim Wallace: At this stage in the appeal process no date has been fixed for the hearing of the appeal.

  Once the trial judges report to the Appeal Court following the lodging by Mr Al Megrahi of his grounds of appeal, the case will go before a single judge of the High Court who will decide whether to grant leave to appeal. If leave to appeal is granted a date will then be fixed for the appeal hearing.

Land

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will be sending a representative to the 23rd biennial international conference of the International Union for Land Value Taxation, being held in Edinburgh on 9 and 10 July 2001.

Angus MacKay: No.

Land Reform (Scotland) Bill

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional exemptions to the right of tenants to purchase their own homes will be introduced if the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill is passed as currently drafted.

Mr Jim Wallace: None, although the proposed legislation, as currently drafted, would allow for the suspension of such rights while the community right to buy or crofting community right to buy is taking place. These tenants’ rights would be resumed upon the conclusion of any transfer under the right to buy provisions.

Non-Domestic Rates

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when the results of the Rate Relief for Small Businesses consultation will be announced.

Angus MacKay: We are considering next steps in the light of the many helpful and diverse responses we received and an announcement will be made in due course.

Non-Domestic Rates

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what forms of non-domestic rate relief are available to new small non-agricultural businesses developed on land or property formerly used for agricultural purposes.

Angus MacKay: All businesses occupying properties with a rateable value of £10,000 or less benefit from a 2p reduction in the poundage this year. In addition, the rateable value of certain lands and buildings used for breeding or rearing horses is reduced by £2,500 or the amount that would otherwise be their rateable value.

  Proposals for rate relief for new farm diversification enterprises were included in the consultation paper we published on 15 February. We have received many helpful and diverse responses which we are considering before deciding how best to proceed.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the practices and procedures for the observation of "at risk" prisoners who are under the supervision of the Clinical Manager at the health centre in HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Scottish Prison Service sees no need to do so.

Prison Service

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Prison Service flew a dentist to Camp Zeist in the Netherlands to provide dental treatment for Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi.

Mr Jim Wallace: Given a prisoner’s right to medical confidentiality, and as there is currently only one prisoner within HM Prison, Zeist, no details can be disclosed about any visits by health care professionals to HM Prison, Zeist.

Public Bodies

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much (a) it and (b) each of the public bodies for which it is responsible have spent on media relations consultants in each of the last two financial years and in the current financial year to date.

Angus MacKay: Information about public relations and marketing companies that are employed by Scottish public bodies for which the Scottish Executive has direct responsibility is kept under review following the undertaking given by the then First Minister in his reply to question S1W-3223. Relevant figures for the period 1 July to 10 October 1999 are given in Appendix 6 of the Report on the use of public relations organisations by Scottish Public Bodies since 1 July 1999 , a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s reference centre (Bib. no. 7215).

  A similar exercise covering the period from 11 October 1999 to 31 March 2001 is still in progress. When it is completed I will write to Mr Neil and place the report in the Parliament’s reference centre.

Rape

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to create a statutory definition of rape.

Mr Jim Wallace: There are no plans at present to create a statutory definition of rape. The law is kept under review. The Lord Advocate made a reference to the High Court on 28 June seeking clarification of the law on rape.

Rural Development

Mr John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all working groups currently in operation concerned with the aquaculture industry.

Rhona Brankin: Collaborative working is a key principle of our aquaculture policy. Fish farmers, wild fishery interests, the Executive and other stakeholders come together in three groups to improve dialogue and trust, to confront issues and to find solutions:

  the Tripartite Working Group, which is focused on interactions between both farmed and wild fish, in particular, tackling the problem of sea lice; developing the concept of Area Management Agreements, and, when conditions are right, taking steps to restore wild stocks in areas where they have been in decline;

  the Aquaculture Health Joint Working Group, which considers ways to improve the health, welfare and management of farmed fish, and informs R&D policy;

  the Aquaculture Forum, an inclusive group established by the Highlands and Islands Convention and drawn from local authorities, regulators, the fish farming industry, wild fish interests and environmental groups, with a remit to consider those issues of most importance to the sustainable development of aquaculture.

Tourism

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for the appointment of the new chief executive of VisitScotland.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The appointment of the new chief executive was announced on 16 July 2001.